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Your conference went off without a hitch, the delegates were delighted and the key stakeholders went home smiling. Now’s your chance to guarantee an even greater result next time.
How? Well, it has a lot to do with how your sales/marketing activities rate on the Individual Index. The Index measures how well you connect with each individual in your target market. Technology has enabled smart marketers to form individual relationships en masse more effectively & efficiently than ever before.
Yes, advertising & other traditional marketing methods still get results. Truly exceptional results, however, will be enjoyed now & in the future by those who know how to engage, convince & relate to individuals.
Once you understand each person’s fears/needs/dislikes/desires and communicate that understanding from the perspective of your product/service not only will your Individual Index rating skyrocket but so too will your success.
The Individual Index is simple to calculate. Rate your marketing activities out of 10 for each of the following 3 questions:
This can be collected on conference feedback forms, from your sales force, website surveys even from the accounts department. Specifically, the information should range from name, address, email, mobile through to their fears/needs/dislikes/desires concerning your industry and what your industry can give them.
Practically speaking, the data collection will take place over time. After establishing trust and relevance, it’s easier to ask for more personal information. When you demonstrate that you can help someone there’s every reason they will open up to you.
If you have scored well in the previous question, this one will be a breeze. There is a lot of concern in the business community at the moment about the impact of both Privacy & Spam legislation. Many fear that it will dramatically curtail their ability to effectively market their products/services.
To that I say DON’T WORRY; BE HAPPY! For smart, ethical marketers, the legislation is the BEST thing that could have happened. Those of us who obtain either express or inferred permission to communicate individually with customers/prospects are now in the box seat. (To receive a free report on what the 2003 Spam Act means for you, just send me an email – you have my permission).
This is where you strike pay dirt. Unfortunately, this is where most businesses strike rock. And stop.
Fundamentally, sales and marketing hasn’t changed much for 1,000s of years simply because people haven’t changed much. For all our supposed sophistication, we still want to be wooed, respected and treated as important. So doesn’t it make sense for businesses to take this into account when communicating with us?
So how to make it happen. The answer is right at our fingertips. When we run late for an appointment we call ahead on our mobile. When we want to send a short note, it only takes a few taps on a keyboard & a few seconds later our recipient is reading it.
Before too long, we’ll be able to use our TV’s keyboard to order the identical jumper Don Burke is wearing – in our size - while watching Burke’s Backyard.
Individuals have taken to new technologies in their millions and it has put us smack bang in the middle of a communications revolution. The exciting opportunity for you is that most organisations have no idea it’s taking place.
Technology – via email, online and mobile marketing in particular – allows you to maintain cost-effective and highly effective individual relationships that work for you and for the individual.
As an example, it’s not about sending out the same email to 1,000 people you want to attend your next conference. It’s about regularly sending a customised email (mail merge for email is a wonderful thing) to 1,000 individuals with news, tips and data that will help them given their personal fears/needs/dislikes/desires.
How did you rate? By the way, if you answered “no” to any of the questions you score 0 for that question.
So what is the pass mark for the Individual Index? Logically, it would be 15 out of 30. Wrong, not even close. Hey, we’re individuals, who said we have to be logical?
Anything less than 26 out of 30 is a fail. That’s right, 86.7% is the bare minimum. And that’s being generous. If you doubt the worth of being such a tough marker, were you only ever 50% in love with the love of your life?